The kid and I ducked in on a recent afternoon after lucking into a parking space right out front. We had a sweet Groupon, but it’s not terribly expensive to pay for ice time and skate rental. (Non-pro tip: Go a full size below your shoe size for rental skates. I went down a half-size don’t think that was enough.)

I wouldn’t say the L.A. Kings Valley Ice Center is in grade A shape, but it’s certainly a few grades above the other local ice rinks we’ve sampled in recent years.

Bottom line is that we had a great time, it wasn’t too crowded, and I only had one catastrophic fall, from which I emerged sore and slightly bruised. No breaks or sprains.